Trigger Cut Interview: “Free hugs for the chosen ones.”

Pre-orders for Trigger Cut’s debut album Buster start next week.

Ralph Schaarschmidt, vocalist and guitarist with German noise rock outfit Trigger Cut, is a beast. A dynamo. His previous band Buzz Rodeo were a razor-sharp amalgamation of razor sharps riffs, wit, and unrelentless pummeling. You should, without doubt, check out their sole LP Sports. His new group are equally, if not more, impressive. Marrying ferocity with melody is never an easy task, but Ralph and Trigger Cut have a knack for it.

With their debut album, Buster, incoming very soon, we had to chat with him about his love of ponies, cats, and all things noise rock. YESSSSSS!

Overblown: I’m curious, your new single focuses a lot on ponies. Where did the inspiration come from?

Ralph Schaarschmidt: “I am cowboy kim / Cowboy kim I am / I am a lucky cowboy / Let me tell you why / I’m a man with a mission / A boy with a gun”. Before a Trigger Cut rehearsal listening to this badass song (‘Big Mess’) from Devo and I really missed the cool and wonderful word PONY. That’s it.

And of course the Pony Express was the most important thing in the Wild West –LoL. I love horses and especially CATS ☺ both are very old species on planet earth and worth to mention.

Overblown: Who created the video for the track? What is the concept behind the video?

We recorded the song and sent it to Francesca Bonci… She is a great visual artist from Bologna, Italy. She made emotive visuals and visceral hand made creations for the whole music scene for all genres. In addition to that, we called the genial artist Karolina Stanieczek from Poland doing the video collages.

There is no real concept behind it. I said to Francesca, “please hear this song and do a crazy video”. She did it. A pony ride through time and space. Yesssss.

I was sad to see the demise of Buzz Rodeo, your previous band. Is Trigger Cut a continuation of the Buzz Rodeo sound?

I would say no but the guitar sound and the vocals are still Ralph. We try to be a lot noisier than the band before. I work now together with good and talented guys out of the noise/post-punk scene in Germany. It´s a pleasure and honour to work with such great musicians and friends. I feel safe and enjoy the good mood in the band. There is a lot of energy flying around our heads and bodies. Each rehearsal is a gem in Trigger Cut history. Big fun!

On social media, you have a catchphrase where you comment on posts with “yeeeees” or “yessssssssss”. Where did that come from?

Its nothing new just say yes or no. But “yes” is probably the most important word for me. Before that, I wrote normal comments about a record or a band. But then I thought that’s not enough to react to something. A simple “yes” can sometimes be taken as a response from someone who is not actually interested in the conversation. Said and done. I love noise rock/post-punk music so much that I created the “YESSSSSS” or “YESS”. Posts that inspire me beyond measure will get the “YESSSS”. And the guys liked and demand it. It`s a simple, effective formula. Done with pleasure and big love. Free hugs for the chosen ones.

When will Trigger Cut’s debut album Buster be released?

We are in the final steps. Recording and mixing are done by a very special and talented guy. A good friend and a great engineer. We are looking so forward to presenting this new band and stuff. LP preorder for Buster will start next week on the Trigger Cut Bandcamp. 180 gram black vinyl/CD inside. Strictly limited to 500 copies. Cover artwork was done by Frederic Bouchet/Sunrise Studios/France. Special thanks to all the involved people.

The title Buster and the whole record is dedicated to an amazing friend on Facebook. James Kimball (Laughing Hyenas, Mule, The Jesus Lizard, Denson Kimball Trio, Ghost Forrest) and his bulldog BUSTER. It was a real pleasure to watch this great love between human and animal on Facebook. YESS

Another song I have heard by Trigger Cut is ‘Blind’. I love that one. A real Shellac vibe to it in my opinion. What inspired the song?

Some structures of ‘Blind’ I wrote back in former days. But finally, it was rewritten by Trigger Cut in a better way. I would say the lyrics are very harsh and influenced by the weird behaviour of a certain person. For me, it’s a very straight noisy example of Trigger Cut composition.

I can’t deny that I love the post-punk, noise rock and art-punk stuff out of the ’80s and ’90s from the US. Bands like Shellac, Scratch Acid, Big Black, Drive like Jehu, Hammerhead, Hüsker Dü, Cherubs, Sonic Youth, Laughing Hyenas, Mule, Helmet, Barkmarket, Girls against Boys, Fugazi, Cows, Melvins, Helmet, Hot Snakes, Pavement, June of 44, Polvo, Uzeda (IT)—to name a few. But I really like Bands from the UK too—most influenced Bands for me Gang Of Four, Joy Division, Ruts, Siouxsie and the Banshees, AC Temple, Chorchazade, A Witness, The Fall, The Birthday Party, Ricaine(AUSSIE). Oooh and I miss John Peel.

But not only the past influenced Trigger Cut. Nowadays there are tons of good bands out there especially The Hand, Hoaries, Novacron, Lardo, Multicult, Night Vapor, Bellini, Punching Swans, USA Nails, Nopes, This Is Wreckage, Death Pedals, and so on.

Jamie Coughlan is the founder of Overblown. He talks a lot about himself and is totally pretentious. Terrible with personal finances. Loves beer gardens. He has written for the RTE Guide, A Music Blog, Yea?, The Thin Air, Gigwise, and is a contributor to The Tipping Point.

Overblown is all about subterreanean music. We aim to champion bands and record labels that we are passionate about and are overlooked and undervalued by the mainstream media machine, while still paying homage to the iconic bands and labels who laid and developed the groundwork for today’s emerging talent.